Means for supporting tools

ABSTRACT

Means for supporting tools with two or more tool hangers each having an upright member for attachment to a vertical supporting surface, an upper horizontal member for attachment to a horizontal supporting surface, and a lower horizontal member. The upper horizontal member and lower horizontal member are attached on one end to the upright member. The lower horizontal member is the same width and located directly below and in line with the upper horizontal member and are spaced apart in order create two pairs of supporting sides located on the outer sides of the tool hanger and perpendicular to the upper horizontal member in order to hold a tool in the vertical position. A preferred embodiment further comprises a gauge for interlocking and setting said tool hangers at various specified distances apart.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] This invention relates generally to the field of tool storage, and more particularly to a means for supporting tools.

[0002] Various devices exist for hanging tools in the storage areas of residential and commercial properties. Tool hanging devices allow organization of these tools within such storage areas thereby further providing a position where the tools cannot be damaged nor be in harms way. For example a typical household garage has various tools such as racks, shovels, brooms, and so forth that cannot be readily stored. If left on the floor, these tools must be leaned against a wall, taking up valuable floor space and presenting a situation in which a person may accidentally trip over them. In addition tools placed directly on a floor surface are susceptible to early degradation as surface moisture will rust or oxidize metal tools. For these reasons, various types of tool racks have been marketed with various types of success.

[0003] One of the problems with prior art tool devices is the lack of vertical supports to prevent tools from leaning to one side or the other. Many tools have an uneven head; therefore, some tools may lean if the tool hanger only supports a tool from the head with out further supporting the tool lower, to hold it in the vertical position.

[0004] In addition much of the prior art does not allow for the support of several tools on the same tool hanger. Many tools such as bar clamps have a narrow head; therefore, the present invention has a large enough upper horizontal support that when several tool hangers are interlocked together they can support several bar clamps on both sides of the same tool hanger with out the bar clamps from one side being obstructed by the bar clamps on the other side.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] The primary object of the invention is to provide a tool hanger with a separate upper and lower horizontal member of the same width and sufficiently separated in order to support a tool from the side in more than one location, keeping it in the vertical position.

[0006] Another object of the invention is to provide a tool hanger with a front stop, which will prevent the tools from sliding off the hanger.

[0007] Another object of the invention is to provide a tool hanger that is designed to be mounted to a horizontal member affixed to a wall such as a 2″×4″ wood member.

[0008] A further object of the invention is to provide a tool hanger that is made of plastic in order to minimize manufacturing costs.

[0009] Yet another object of the invention is to provide a tool hanger that has an internal web between the upper and lower horizontal member in order to give the tool hanger increased strength.

[0010] Still yet another object of the invention is to provide a tool hanger with a gauge for setting the tool hangers at various distances apart for tools of different sizes.

[0011] Another object of the invention is to provide a tool hanger with a gauge that interlocks the tool hangers for increased strength.

[0012] Another object of the invention is to provide a tool hanger that can be mounted on a horizontal supporting surface and or a flat vertical surface.

[0013] A further object of the invention is to provide a tool hanger with a wide enough upper horizontal member to hang tools on either side of the same tool hanger, with out the tools from one side being obstructed by the tools on the other side.

[0014] Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following descriptions, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein, by way of illustration and example, an embodiment of the present invention is disclosed.

[0015] Means for supporting tools comprising: A tool hanger with an upright member for attachment to a vertical supporting surface, a upper horizontal member for attachment to a horizontal supporting surface, a lower horizontal member. The upper horizontal member and lower horizontal member are attached on one end to the upright member. The lower horizontal member is the same width and located directly below and in line with the upper horizontal member, and each is spaced apart in order to create two pairs of supporting sides. The supporting sides are located on the outer sides of the tool hanger and perpendicular to the upper horizontal member surface in order to hold a tool in the vertical position. The upper horizontal member is wide enough to support narrow headed tools such as pipe clamps, on both sides of the same tool hanger with out tools from one side being obstructed by the tools on the other side. A gauge is also provided for both the setting of several tool hangers at specified distances apart as well as providing a means for interlocking several tool hangers together.

[0016] The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments to the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. It is to be understood that in some instances various aspects of the invention may be shown exaggerated or enlarged to facilitate an understanding of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the invention, incorporated with this figure are several tool hangers mounted and interlocked together supporting several pipe clamps.

[0018]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a single tool hanger.

[0019]FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of a single tool hanger.

[0020]FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of two tool hangers mounted and interlocked together.

[0021]FIG. 5 is a plan view of a gauge used to set and interlock two tool hangers together.

[0022]FIG. 6 is a front elevational view of a gauge used to set and interlock two tool hangers together.

[0023]FIG. 7 is a side perspective view of a single tool hanger with an alternative means of mounting on a flat vertical surface.

[0024]FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the upright vertical member of the tool hanger shown in FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0025] Detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiment are provided herein. It is to be understood, however, that the present invention may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed system, structure or manner.

[0026] In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention shown in the perspective view in FIG. 1, the tool hanger of the invention is generally denoted by the numeral 10. Several tool hangers 10 are mounted to a horizontal support 11 and are supporting several pipe clamps 12. In order to limit manufacturing cost the tool hanger 10 can be made of plastic.

[0027] In FIG. 2 the tool hanger 10 has an upright member 13 for attachment to a vertical supporting surface. The upright member 13 has anchoring holes 14 to receive an anchor for attachment to a vertical supporting surface and gauge receiving holes 15 to receive gauge protrusions (FIG. 5,52) for interlocking and anchoring two tool hangers 10 together on a vertical supporting surface. An upper horizontal member 16 and a lower horizontal member 17 are both attached on one end to the upright member 13.

[0028] In FIG. 3 the tool hanger 10 has a stop member 31, which is located on the forward end of the upper horizontal member 16 directly opposite the upright member 13. The stop member 31 consists of a raised portion on the top of the upper horizontal member 16 that will prevent tools from sliding off. Between and attached to the upper horizontal member 16 and the lower horizontal member 17 are diagonal braces 18 which give the tool hanger 10 additional strength.

[0029]FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of two tool hangers 10 which are anchored to a horizontal support 11 and interlocked together with a gauge 51. The lower horizontal member 17 is the same width and located directly below and in line with the upper horizontal member 16, both upper and lower horizontal members are spaced apart in order to create two pairs of supporting sides 19 located on the outer most sides of the tool hanger 10 and perpendicular to the upper horizontal member 16, therefore, a tool can be supported vertically by both supporting sides 19 of both tool hangers 10. The upper horizontal member 16 provides additional anchoring holes 41 for attachment to the horizontal supporting surface 40 of the horizontal support 11. In accordance with the preferred embodiment the upper horizontal member 16 and the lower horizontal member 17 are extra wide (approximately 1.25″ or wider) in order to accommodate hanging a tool (FIG. 1,12) on both sides of the same tool hanger with out tools from one side being obstructed by the tools on the other side.

[0030] In FIG. 5 a gauge 51 for interlocking, anchoring and setting of tool hangers (FIG. 1,10) at specified distances apart is shown in the plan view. Two gauge protrusions 52 are located on each side of the gauge 51 and are used to interlock with the gauge receiving holes (FIG. 2,15). A large spacer 53 and a smaller spacer 54 are located in the center of and on opposite sides of the gauge 51 which spaces the tool hangers (FIG. 1,10) at predetermined distances apart. The distance between the gauge protrusions 52 and both the large spacer 53 and the smaller spacer 54 is equal to the distance between the gauge receiving holes (FIG. 4,15) and the sides of the vertical upright member (FIG. 4,42).

[0031] In FIG. 6 the gauge can set the tool hangers (FIG. 4,10) at two different predetermined distances apart depending on which side is used to interlock with the tool hangers (FIG. 4,10) and is anchored to a vertical supporting surface through the anchoring hole 60

[0032] In FIG. 7 the tool hanger 10 is shown with an alternate means of anchoring to a vertical supporting surface. The alternate upright vertical member 75 extends above the upper horizontal member 16 to allow for additional anchoring to a vertical surface through anchoring holes 70. The tool hanger 10 is also shown with an alternate bracing 71 running perpendicular and between the upper horizontal member 16 and the lower horizontal member 17. The tool hanger 10 has an alternate integrated gauge that is integrated into the tool hanger 10 rather than using the separate gauge (FIG. 6,51). The integrated gauge consists of one or more gauge tongues (FIG. 8,81) and one or more gauge grooves (FIG. 8,82) that are used to interlock two tool hangers together at one or more predetermined distance apart.

[0033]FIG. 8 shows the top plan view of the alternate upright vertical member 75 of a tool hanger 10.

[0034] While the invention has been described in connection with a preferred embodiment, it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to the particular form set forth, but on the contrary, it is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. Means for supporting tools comprising: A tool hanger with an upright member for attachment to a vertical supporting surface, a upper horizontal member for attachment to a horizontal supporting surface, a lower horizontal member, said upper horizontal member and lower horizontal member are attached on one end to said upright member.
 2. Means for supporting tools as claimed in claim 1 wherein said lower horizontal member is the same width and located directly below and in line with the said upper horizontal member, said upper horizontal member and lower horizontal member are spaced apart in order to create two pairs of supporting sides located on the outer sides of said tool hanger and perpendicular to said upper horizontal member.
 3. Means for supporting tools as claimed in claim 1 wherein said upper horizontal member has a stop member on the forward end directly opposite the said horizontal supporting surface to prevent tools hanging on the tool hanger from sliding off.
 4. Means for supporting tools as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a series of diagonal braces connected between said upper horizontal member and said lower horizontal member.
 5. Means for supporting tools as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a brace running perpendicular and connected to said upper horizontal member and said lower horizontal member.
 6. Means for supporting tools as claimed in claim 1 wherein said tool hanger is constructed of plastic.
 7. Means for supporting tools as claimed in claim 1 wherein said upper horizontal member and said lower horizontal member are larger than approximately 1.25″ wide, in order to hang a tool or pipe clamp on both sides of the same said tool hanger with out the tools from one side being obstructed by the tools on the other side.
 8. Means for supporting tools as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a gauge for setting said tool hangers at various specified distances apart.
 9. Means for supporting tools as claimed in claim 8 wherein said gauge provides a means for interlocking the said tool hangers.
 10. Means for supporting tools as claimed in claim 8 wherein said gauge provides means for attaching said tool hanger to a vertical-supporting surface.
 11. Means for supporting tools as claimed in claim 1 wherein said upper horizontal member does not extend past the upright member for attachment to a horizontal supporting surface and said upright member provides the means for additional attachment to a vertical supporting surface. 